1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable information terminal having a communication function, and more particularly, to a portable information terminal having a power saving mode.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there is a technique which executes a scheduled communication task at a timing when a certain condition is satisfied (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-125659). In an apparatus using such a technique, a scheduled task, such as transmission and reception of a message and downloading, is executed in a cycle of a predetermined unit time or at a timing which is set for the task. The communication task is executed by an input-output processor independently of a CPU. Thus, the communication task is executed even in a standby mode in which power is not supplied to the CPU, and hence a user does not need to make an instruction for transmission and reception or downloading.
However, an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open. Patent Publication No. 2008-125659 intermittently performs a process such as transmission and reception of a message and downloading, on the premise that a connection to a network has been previously established. Thus, in the case where a connection to the network has not been established when a process such as transmission and reception or downloading should be performed, the apparatus cannot attempt to connect to the network. The invention disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-125659, which assumes that the apparatus is constantly connected to the network, is useful for a stationary apparatus which is set and used at a predetermined location such as home. However, concerning a portable apparatus which is carried and used, the distance between the portable apparatus and an access point changes due to movement of a user, and a situation also occurs in which there is no access point around the portable apparatus. Thus, it is difficult to apply the invention disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-125659, to the portable apparatus. Further, there is known a method of connecting to an access point specified by a user. However, in this method, even when there is a connectable access point around the user, the user needs to notice the access point and make an instruction for connection, in order to connect to the access point. Therefore, the operation for the connection is troublesome for the user, and the user needs to always pay attention to whether or not there is any access point around the user.